Reno’s Mark Estee takes over historic Overland restaurant in Gardnerville

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — Reno chef and restaurateur Mark Estee is now operating the Overland Restaurant & Pub.

Estee, Nick Meyer, Tommy Linnett and Tanya McCaffery are running the Gardnerville eatery, according to a firm listing filed with Douglas County.

The Overland continues to be owned by the Park family.

Overland owner David Park said that he leased the restaurant to Estee on Oct. 1.

“We’ve been the operator of the restaurant until (Oct. 1),” he said. “On Monday (Oct. 1) we truly leased it out.”

Estee is the owner of Liberty Food & Wine Exchange in Reno, where he creates international dishes using the products of Northern Nevada farmers and ranchers, according to the web site.

The same group operates the Union Eatery, Tap House and Coffee in Carson City.

A Gardnerville landmark for years, the Overland is in a building built in 1910 by Gardnerville butcher Sam Imelli, who operated it as a meat market.

The Overland was later owned by John and Jeanne Etchemendy, who operated a hotel, bar, restaurant and boarding house. Etchemendy sold it to Eusebio Cenoz and Esperanza Dufar. Cenoz’ wife Elvira operated the Basque restaurant until it closed on Aug. 29, 2014. The Parks purchased the property in May 2014.

It was reopened in 2015 after a year’s work with a new look and menu.

The upstairs portion of the building that once served Basque sheepherders, who frequently boarded at the Overland when they weren’t out in the wilderness tending to their flocks, has been converted into offices.